WILMA MOST COMBATIVE, JUSTYNA RETAINS YOUNG RIDER LEAD AT TOUR DOWN UNDER

It was an animated and bold performance from CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto on stage two of Tour Down Under, with Wilma Aintila setting the tone and earning the day’s Most Combative award. Meanwhile, Justyna Czapla continued her strong tour, launching moves of her own and successfully defending her lead in the Young Rider classification.

Wilma reacts to her recognition:

“Of course, it feels good. It was a hard day, a really hot day, so it feels good to be the most combative rider of the bunch. We will go full gas tomorrow as well.”

She outlined the team’s approach for Sunday’s stage, which was built off disappointment from Saturday.

“It was a real pity yesterday. The work was not done to 100% with two of us being in a crash, so that was in the back of the mind. We had a lot of energy and we are a really strong team, so we aimed for a stage yesterday, which we didn’t really get. So, coming into today, we wanted to race all in. My move was kind of planned; we were going into the stage really motivated and with a mindset to attack. After 30 kilometres, I had the green flag to go and make the race hard, to then help Chloé in the end. So, that was the plan and we nailed it.”

Wilma made her move with 97km of the 131km stage remaining, attacking from a passive peloton shortly after overcoming the first obstacle of the day – Norton’s Summit (9.9km at 4.3%). She went on to spend close to 50 kilometres alone on relentlessly rolling, sun-exposed roads, stretching her advantage beyond 90 seconds. Strong, smooth, and composed, she managed her effort carefully against the tough Australian conditions. The peloton eventually reeled her in just before the race entered the lively 12km Paracombe circuit, setting the stage for an aggressive, wide-open finale.

Across the first two of three laps, Tiffany Cromwell and Justyna ignited the racing, firing off attacks and showcasing both craft and strength to set up Chloé Dygert. Heading into the final lap, Chloé made her move, leapfrogging another attack and bringing four riders with her, looking commanding as the group powered into the final 2km. The peloton, however, refused to relent. With the gap never stretching beyond 15 seconds, the move was ultimately shut down inside the final kilometre.

Both Neve Bradbury and Justyna finished inside the top 20, with Justyna holding onto the Young Rider jersey, equal on overall time with second and third place. For many riders, general classification ambitions remain very much alive heading into tomorrow’s 127km stage three. Attention is firmly fixed on the infamous Corkscrew ascent – a savage 2.4km climb (average 9.1%) that will be tackled twice. It represents the first real chance for climbers to make their mark, and from the summit, just 5km of fast descending remains before the tour’s conclusion.

Justyna reflected on stage two while already looking ahead to Monday’s finale.

“I think it was a really good day for all of us. It was a hard race already from the beginning, starting with a lot of attacks on the first climb. It was really hard and also really hot today, but as a team, I think we had a good day with Wilma in the break and Chloé in a small group at the end. It’s a bit sad that it didn’t work out with Chloé, but I’m happy that I could defend my jersey. “

“For sure, I would like to keep the jersey and win it at the end of Tour down Under. I hope that we also can do something as a team – launch attacks, be active and race smart. And hopefully we can also get a good result with Chloé or Neve.”

On a disappointing note, Soraya Paladin was forced to withdraw after her heavy crash in the closing kilometres of stage 1. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery!

HOW TO FOLLOW 

Stage 3 – Tour Down Under | Mon, Jan 19 | 126.5km | 1971m elevation | start: 11:10 – fastest finish: 14:53 ACDT (5:23 CET).

Daily coverage available from 11:00 ACDT (or 1:30 CET/ 16:30 PST) on 7Plus, Eurosport, FloBikes and other regional broadcasters.